Contact: Jenna McElroy, Sports Info & Social Media Intern, mcelroy@midwestconference.org

Men's Preview

GRINNELL, Iowa – A new individual champion will be crowned at the 2018 Midwest Conference (MWC) Women’s Cross Country Championship as only four the last year’s top ten return. Two of those four returning runners look to lead St. Norbert to the team title for the Green Knights first three-peat in program history.

The 2018 edition of the championship will be contested at Foss Park in North Chicago, Illinois and hosted by Lake Forest College. The women’s race is scheduled to go off at 11 a.m. and a course map along with all meet information can be found on the championship page.

The individual battled is headlined line by three runners separated by only three seconds. St. Norbert’s Graceanne Tarsa is the top returner from 2017 when she finished sixth. Tarsa’s time of 22:44.1 ranks second in the conference just two second behind Grinnell’s Mikayla Fujiwara and two seconds ahead of Lake Forest’s Yaneli Guajardo. Fujiwara and Guajardo finished just outside the top ten last year in 11th and 12th respectively.

Tarsa leads a group a five Green Knights with times in the top-12 of the league honor roll. Last year’s tenth place finisher Gretchen Price enters the championship meet with the fifth fastest time of 23:21.3 while Joyana Tarsa and Abby Janto enter with times only a tenth of a second apart in eighth (23:47.4) and ninth (23:47.5) respectively. Rounding out St. Norbert's top-five is Erin Sorg with her season-best time of 24:13.02 in 18th.

Grinnell looks to claim the team title for the first time since 2014 and look to be a challenge to the Green Knights as the Pioneers enter with six runners with times in the conference top-20. Fujiwara leads the way with the season’s fastest time followed by last year’s eighth-place finisher Anna Ahrens whose time of 23:01 ranks fourth.  Ranking seventh is Emma Schaefer with her time of 23:47 just edging out Joyana Tarsa for the top time by a first-year. Tori LaVerdiere and Allison Cottrell complete the group with their times of 24:06 and 24:10 respectively.

Caitlyn Allen led Monmouth to third place in 2017, just nine points behind Grinnell, with her seventh-place finish. Joining the senior is Julia Sterr with the tenth best time of 23:58.7 and Natalia Bobak’s 14th fastest time of 24:06.6. The Scots also feature three first-years in their top-seven and all have top-30 times entering the conference race. The duo of Arika Hofmann and Mik Moore recorded times of 24:17 and 24:27.6 respectively while Caroline Young posted a time of 24:36.5.

Cornell senior Dominique Fleming is the Rams top returning finisher from last year’s fourth-place team and she currently ranks sixth in the conference with her time of 23:40. Fleming is followed by three runners with top-40 honor rolls times in Erin Hosto (24:14), Emma Merritt (24:38), and Morgan Barnard (25:03).

Lake Forest looks to contest Cornell for fourth after the Foresters took fifth last season. Guajardo earned Newcomer of the Year honors for her 12th place finish and enters the 2018 championship meet with the third fastest time (22:45.8). She is followed by Emily Staufer (24:44.09), Estefania (25:18.1), and Molly Gniady (26:00.8).

Lawrence tied the Foresters with a score of 130 last season but took sixth after losing the tiebreaker. The Vikings graduated their top four runners and are led by first-year Leah Hawksford (24:29) and senior Molly Doruska (24:34) in 2018. Alex Chand is the team’s top returning finisher from 2017 (25:07) as she looks to help Lawrence earn a top-five finish.

The Knox Prairie Fire also graduated four of their top seven runners and are led by freshman Iris Berto. Berto hopes to grab an All-Conference finish in her first MWC Championship race as she enters with the 21st fastest time of 24:23.33. Senior Meaghan Dorsey enters her final conference meet with a season-best time of 26:01.65 followed by first-year Emily Miller and her time of 27:07.7.

Ripon didn’t record a team score in 2017 as the Red Hawks only had three runners competing at the championship meet. The Red Hawks look to enter the team standings this year led by Madie King who is shooting for her first All-MWC honor. King comes in with the 16th best time of 24:08 followed by Terrina Phillips 24:28 in 23rd which matches her placing from last year. First-year Makaila Weddle also posted a top-40 time of 25:03.

 Illinois College completes the field and is led by a pair of juniors in Ashlyn Haage and Becca Lucas. Haage was one of the most improved runners in 2017 having moved up 47 places from the previous year, and she looks to continue that upward trend as she enters the 2018 race with the 48th fastest time (25:19). Lucas recorded the 64th best time of 26:08 followed by first-year Madison Schoenfeld in 27:14. 

MWC Women's Cross Country Championship meet info.